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Zero Tolerance For Driving Under The Influence Of Drugs In The Bay Area

The one law that I was talking about earlier, which was the zero-tolerance for driving under the influence of drugs when it’s not a legally prescribed drug. Or even if it is a legally prescribed drug, if you’re over the allowed amount, they will also pursue criminal charges.

Attorney Bortel Has Encountered This Zero Tolerance Policy Even Prior To The Law Taking Effect

Even though they say that if someone has a prescription they’re not going to go after them, I don’t buy that for a second. I have seen, even without this new law that’s proposed, counties go after, or DA’s offices go after, my clients who had a legal prescription in their system. The DA’s office says that their driving showed that they were unable to maintain their vehicle properly because of that. And to hear them say, “Well, we’re not going to go after anyone who has a legal prescription for the drug they’re on,” I don’t believe that for a second and no one else should, either.

Attorney Bortel Sees This Policy Affecting Medical Marijuana Users

So, this is what I can see happening. There are two groups that will be affected the most severely by this. The number one group would be those who smoke medical marijuana, with or without a medical marijuana card, in California. Marijuana can stay in the system for months and almost certainly stays in the system for days or weeks.

Marijuana Metabolites Are A Lingering Presence In Your System

Now, if you smoked in the morning and you’re driving in the evening, there will be marijuana in your system. You will be completely sober to drive. The marijuana will not be affecting you. But, you will be DUI. You will be considered “driving under the influence of drugs” and you are looking at all of the penalties for a DUI if you get convicted. These are very hard cases to fight.

The Level Of Metabolites Causing Impairment

It’s very hard to determine what the metabolite level is as it affects different people. What’s going on here is the testing for marijuana. It’s not at the level of sophistication where it needs to be, and I don’t think it will ever be there.

It’s basically just a way to get people to stop smoking marijuana if they want to drive or run the risk of criminal charges. It’s a way to raise more money for the state by getting more driving under the influence convictions, due to marijuana.

There Is No Established Medically Proven Method To Determine Absorption Of Marijuana

There is no specific chart. There is no specific way to know. With alcohol, you can buy a breath machine and blow into it to see what your alcohol level is hours after driving. Once you’ve probably fully absorbed after approximately two or three hours, you can test yourself and have an idea of what level is present in your system.

For more information on Zero Tolerance For Drug DUI In The Bay Area, a free initial consultation is your next best step. Get the information and legal answers you are seeking by calling (415) 523-7878 today.